Leaders of South Korea and Pacific island nations agreed to strengthen development and security cooperation after a two-day summit in Seoul from May 29-30.
 |
| The Korea- Pacific Island Summit, taking place in Seoul for 2 days, May 29-30. (Source: Reuters) |
The conference, themed “Towards Shared Prosperity: Strengthening Cooperation with the Blue Pacific”, was attended by 12 leaders and five ministerial-level officials from 17 of the 18 members of the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF), an intergovernmental cooperation body aimed at strengthening ties between island nations in the region.
In his opening speech at the conference, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol affirmed that the event will mark a new beginning of cooperation between Seoul and the Pacific islands.
The conference issued a joint statement, which recognized the values of "freedom, democracy, rule of law, human rights" and "international and regional order based on rules".
The statement stressed: "Peace and stability in the Pacific region are linked to global peace and stability."
The leaders acknowledged the need to strengthen development cooperation and security cooperation, including maritime security, climate security, energy security, cyber security, human security, public health and transnational security.
According to the South Korean Presidential Office, the summit's joint statement outlined a vision for building a partnership of freedom, peace and prosperity between Seoul and Pacific island nations.
The document also presents a plan to develop the partnership based on the Republic of Korea's Indo-Pacific Strategy and the Pacific Island Countries' Strategy for a Blue Pacific Continent Vision 2050.
The statement noted Korea's commitment to double its official development assistance (ODA) to Pacific island countries to US$39.9 million by 2027, and to increase financial, technological and other support to respond to climate change.
In addition, the parties shared the view that the ocean needs to be kept clean of radioactive waste and that there needs to be international consultation and scientific assessment, alluding to concerns about Japan's plan to release water from the Fukushima nuclear plant into the sea.
The leaders also agreed to shorten the cycle of holding foreign ministerial-level talks to once every two years and hold the next summit at a suitable time and location agreed upon by both sides.
Source
Comment (0)